tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59236122015-07-27T19:09:41.484-07:00Notes in the Key of LifeThe blog of radio personality and voice-over artist Cindy SwansonCindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.comBlogger1763125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-52235592447953518492015-03-23T07:48:00.000-07:002015-03-23T07:48:55.632-07:00Adventures in Hair Drying...or, how do you dry your hair?
Reminiscing about my complicated "hair routine"
Recently, my blow dryer bit the dust. Yes, just stopped working. I went out pretty much immediately and got a new one, because even though I sometimes let my hair air dry, I can't let the top and bangs air dry...it ends up looking ridiculous!
Thinking about what I used to go through to dry my hair really makes me appreciate the hair dryers ofCindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-39078278832066456132015-03-05T10:08:00.001-08:002015-03-05T10:09:53.121-08:00In honor of World Book Day: My top 25 books of all time
Today is World Book Day...so I thought it would be a good time to re-post my list of my favorite books of all time.
By the way: this list doesn't include the Holy Bible, which I feel goes without saying is the greatest Book of all, and actually is really much more than a book.
Here it is, originally posted in October 2005:
CINDY'S TOP 25 BOOKS OF ALL TIM
(in no particular order)
1.LittleCindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-68960581870671263142015-02-16T09:25:00.000-08:002015-02-16T09:37:17.902-08:00Sandra Byrd's "Mist of Midnight"--a Gothic Victorian treat
I've become a slightly more impatient reader in recent years. If a book doesn't grab me fairly soon after I open it, I have trouble making myself keep reading.
Mist of Midnight, by Sandra Byrd, offered no such problem. As soon as the reader meets Rebecca Ravenshaw, then finds out her extraordinary quandary, you're in.
This from Amazon.com:
"In the first of a brand-new series set in Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-13576951041485923072015-02-13T10:25:00.002-08:002015-02-13T10:26:36.446-08:00The Most Famous Lovers of all Time in History and LiteratureDigging into the archives to repeat one of my most-pinned-on-Pinterest posts ever...
In honor of Valentine's Day! From listafterlist.com, the most famous lovers in literature and history.
OK, so unless you're extremely erudite or well-versed in literature and mythology, you may not have even heard of some of these. Others you'll know from famous movies. Here we go:
1. Romeo and Juliet-Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-45363824352668717942015-02-05T09:58:00.001-08:002015-02-05T10:32:11.014-08:00The woman who never smiles (and why that's so wrong)I recently read about Tess Christian, a 50 year old woman who claims she hasn't smiled in 40 years in order to avoid wrinkles.
Never. Not even on the most joyful occasions, like when she got married or when her daughter was born.
Apparently it's second nature to her now; she has just trained herself to keep her features neutral. She just never smiles.
Tess Christian
The result? Yeah, Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-25205233161706983332015-02-03T11:59:00.003-08:002015-02-03T11:59:51.159-08:00Go to sleepy, little baby: the backstory of a lullaby (from the archives)
Rocking my baby grandson to sleep
Since my three children and two grandsons were tiny, I’ve been singing them a lullaby:
Go to sleepy, little babyGo to sleepy, little baby
When you wake, we'll patty patty cake
And ride a shiny little pony
That was all I knew of the lullaby, which I could vaguely remember my mom singing to her own children and grandchildren. I found myself Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-73443167777643591002015-01-30T11:48:00.001-08:002015-01-30T11:48:12.766-08:00LungLeavin' Day: Putting a face to a big, scary word
If you're like me, the word "mesothelioma" was just something you heard in attorney's commercials on television and radio.
I knew that it was a cancer commonly assoicated with exposure to asbestos, but that was about it.
Then I got an e-mail the other day from a man named Cameron Von St. James, whose wife Heather (pictured left), actually has mesothelioma.
Cameron asked me and other Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-77840027404477102202015-01-29T10:46:00.001-08:002015-01-29T10:46:56.751-08:00I love big fat magazines (from the archives)
No, this isn't a real magazine, but isn't it funny?
My love affair with magazines
via
My love affair with magazines actually began when I was a little girl and my parents were missionaries in Beirut, Lebanon.
My mom subscribed to several children's magazines for us, including Jack & Jill, Calling All Girls (later titled Young Miss and then YM), and a small Christian magazine I loved Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-13253601207151670192015-01-28T11:10:00.000-08:002015-01-28T11:10:22.828-08:00I'm a voice-over artist! Hire me! (a blatant plug)
As I've mentioned many times here, I am a free-lance voice-over artist.
Right now my main form of VO work is recording phone surveys. If you've ever taken a phone survey for anything from Jason's Deli to Comcast to Auto Zone, you've heard my voice.
However, I'm experienced in many more genres of VO work, and I want very much to expand my career. I would love to get an agent to help me get Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-40080689757814577442014-12-16T12:01:00.000-08:002014-12-16T12:02:10.820-08:00The favorite books you got as gifts
This adorable tabletop book tree was featured on Pinterest. The original post/ohoto is here
Yesterday I blogged about giving/getting books for Christmas. I shared what some of my favorite gifted books were as a child, and asked my readers and Facebook friends to share some of their favorite book gifts.
Here are some replies:
Dorene Hostler A very dear friend bought me a beautiful, Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-62776905927038501812014-12-15T13:19:00.000-08:002014-12-15T13:19:31.728-08:00Give a Book for Christmas!
Read this post for more about this book
I can't remember a single Christmas in my life when I didn't either give or receive at least one book.
Books make wonderful gifts...and they don't have to be expensive. They don't have to be 50 dollar coffee table books (in fact, even those gorgeous coffee table books often go on sale, deeply discounted).
I'm trying to build up my personal Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-68151375553083993632014-12-10T09:18:00.000-08:002014-12-10T09:18:03.499-08:00It's Still a Wonderful Life...why this is my favorite movie EVER
The other night one of my sisters-in-law admitted that she has never seen "It's A Wonderful Life." I was aghast.
This movie is an American institution. This movie is a Christmas tradition. This movie is not just my favorite Christmas movie, but actually my favorite movie EVER.
What do I love about this movie? Well, in no particular order:
--Jimmy Stewart
OK, Jimmy Stewart is Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-67698724282141712792014-12-09T09:52:00.003-08:002014-12-09T10:06:35.201-08:00A beautiful Christmas book
Note: I'm dipping into the archives this month for some posts of Christmas past!
A few years ago, I posted on my book blog about a beautiful Christmas book that I had found for 5 dollars at a local dollar store. Since then, I've gotten some more information about this book and its availability.
I also have a little addendum to make that happened during a recent Thanksgiving.
Here you Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-90449204905335690142014-12-08T11:25:00.001-08:002014-12-08T11:27:14.945-08:00Twelve Christmas questions!
photo credit
I found this in the archives of this blog, but thought it would be a fun thing to resurrect. Answer the questions yourself on your own blog, in my comments section, or on Facebook!
1. Christmas is _Jesus______. [fill in the blank with ONE WORD]
2. In memories, what was the best part of your Christmases past?--Opening presents!
3. Was Santa ever good to you? [Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-28364516915072477132014-11-19T10:15:00.000-08:002014-11-19T10:15:09.819-08:00Five reasons why you should wear an apron
Iconic TV moms Lucille Ball, Donna Reed and Barbara Billingsley in their aprons
The other day, a Facebook friend, author Cecelia Dowdy, asked this question: "Ladies, do you ever wear an apron?"
Her replies were many and varied. Some said yes, some said sometimes, others were all-out apron fans who wear them regularly in the kitchen. Some said they wear aprons that used to be their Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-10678855520896075382014-11-12T11:00:00.002-08:002014-11-12T11:00:19.504-08:00Do you remember wiglets?
Actress Elke Sommer with a wiglet look. My mom's was not this exaggerated.Photo credit
If you remember your mom going to the beauty shop to have her wiglet styled along with her actual hair, you might be a child of the 70's like me.
My mom wore a wiglet for several years. She would go to the beauty shop weekly and have the wiglet styled into her hair and hair-sprayed like crazy. She wouldCindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-75584056761583726402014-11-11T09:26:00.000-08:002014-11-11T09:37:58.751-08:00Portrait of a Veteran...Written by a Marine's Mom
"They weren’t able to listen to new music or watch newly released movies or sporting events on a big screen. Instead, they heard the orders given by their Commanding Officers, bombs exploding, and rumblings of gunfire..."- Kathy Rucker Guzzo
My deepest, warmest gratitude goes out to all US veterans, both past and present, who served our country! A special thank you to my brother David, a Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-80707479168782253012014-11-07T10:33:00.000-08:002014-11-07T10:33:38.729-08:00The most amazing brownie chocolate cake ever (my mom's)
Today, my sister Lisa made my mom's brownie chocolate cake for her son Nathan's birthday. Nathan loves this cake so much, he requested it to be his groom's cake at his recent wedding. And he's not alone. This cake....amazingly moist, delicious, filled with chocolatey goodness...is a family favorite.
My mom got this recipe years ago from her friend Sandra Griffin. Early on, my mom added Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-2381105535589932502014-11-05T07:42:00.000-08:002014-11-05T07:42:18.535-08:00It's been one year since my mother died...
On November 5, 2013, my world shattered. My precious mother died unexpectedly.
It's hard to explain just how wonderful my mother was. I have tried, feebly and inadequately, to verbalize her specialness.
I wrote this as part of a tribute to my mom in 2003:
My mother's walk with the Lord is also something I want to emulate. She is a real prayer warrior. I have so many memories of hearing Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-46077380532986386682014-11-03T09:49:00.001-08:002014-11-03T09:51:33.409-08:00Today is National Sandwich Day! Which begs the question...
What's your favorite sandwich?
I can't lay claim to creating a new sandwich variety. The sandwiches I make at home are pretty run-of-the-mill.
Oh, I might throw on some sweet peppers to make it interesting, or slap it on my George Foreman grill for an instant panini. I've been known to get creative about what I put in my tuna salad--I like pretty much everything but the kitchen sink in Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-83226230386308953302014-10-31T13:16:00.001-07:002014-10-31T13:16:37.096-07:00Gracefully Aging, Day 31: I Did It!!!!
When I began this blogging challenge, Write31Days, a month ago, my blog was lying almost dormant. I figured, what better way to show myself that I CAN blog regularly, than to be obligated to blog every single day for a month?
I chose the topic "Gracefully Aging," because that is my goal at this stage of my life. To be honest I found so many resources and angles, I probably could have Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-50504083210404766882014-10-30T15:01:00.000-07:002014-10-30T15:47:55.261-07:00Gracefully Aging, Day 30: Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren
photo credit
We all know women who wear their age well...who are lovely in spite of the advancing years.
In my case, those women include my mom and my older sister, both of whom I've profiled in this series.
There are a few famous women who also appear to be aging well. One of them is actress Helen Mirren, who was recently chosen as a spokesmodel for L'Oreal Paris.
Several Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-76007207943367422952014-10-29T07:13:00.000-07:002014-10-29T07:52:49.029-07:00Gracefully Aging, Day 29: Blogs! Patti of Not Dead Yet Style
Patti of Not Dead Yet Style
A few years ago, I realized that I had to make peace with the fact that I was getting older. Along with that realization came the decision to actually embrace it and be the best "woman of a certain age" that I could be.
A couple of blogs have been major inspirations to me in this journey. One is Over50Feeling40, which I posted about earlier.
Another is Not Dead Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-40453968203745634652014-10-28T08:01:00.000-07:002014-10-28T08:02:47.448-07:00Gracefully Aging, Day 28: Living in an empty nest
I cherish any time I spend with my daughter and two sons, because they all live away from me
"I love that my kids are all out of the house," said a friend to me recently. "When I clean something, it stays clean for a while. I can put something in the fridge that I want to have later and never come back to find it gone. My husband and I don't have to hide it when we want to be intimate. Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5923612.post-66246875508476657952014-10-27T12:26:00.000-07:002014-10-27T12:28:12.853-07:00Gracefully Aging, Day 27: Losing a Parent
In a few days, I'll observe an anniversary I never wanted...the first anniversary of my mother's death. Of course, people lose parents at every age. My husband's mom died when he was 12 years old. But as we age, it's only natural that our parents may precede us in death.
Three months after my mom died unexpectedly, I wrote the following. I thought I would share it again here.
*********Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com5